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Lynch: New LIV boss Scott O'Neil sounds a lot like Greg Norman. That's not a compliment
Lynch: New LIV boss Scott O'Neil sounds a lot like Greg Norman. That's not a compliment

Yahoo

time15-07-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Lynch: New LIV boss Scott O'Neil sounds a lot like Greg Norman. That's not a compliment

Like most visitors to the Open at Royal Portrush, Scott O'Neil will probably pick up a few choice phrases particular to Northern Ireland. He may already be familiar with some given that his employees as CEO of LIV include several players and caddies from these parts, though it's doubtful they've told him to 'wind your neck in.' Translation: give it a rest, zip it, just hush. Advertisement Like his predecessor, Greg Norman, O'Neil sounds like a man energetically trying to manufacture for his organization a reality that doesn't exist and suggest a momentum it doesn't enjoy. On a recent podcast hosted by one of his paid supplicants, O'Neil said that LIV will be the dominant global force in golf. 'I think the PGA Tour will always have the stronghold in the US … and I think we'll be the dominant player in the world.' His assertion went both unchallenged and unexplained. If there's a single metric that points toward such a rosy future, evidence of it was neither offered nor requested. About the only yardstick O'Neil did cite was marital harmony. 'We had a lot of wives — I'd say, no fewer than a dozen — come up independently, unsolicited, and say, 'My husband's never been happier. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it.' That's nice.' Pay and perks do make guys happy about having dropped anchor, as it were. O'Neil went on to mention that he's friends with Brian Rolapp, the newly appointed CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises and Jay Monahan's de facto successor. He said Rolapp would likely be unable to accept his invitation to attend a LIV event because it would become too much of a circus — understandable since LIV tournaments are known for a sober focus on competition — but he expected they'd catch up at the Open, which Rolapp isn't actually attending. Advertisement By the time O'Neil added that he and his opposite number 'go to the same church' (as in Latter-day Saints, not as in the same structure), the sweaty desperation for relevance was all too apparent. Which is wholly on brand for LIV these days. From L-R: Greg Norman, South Australia's Premier Peter Malinauskas, and LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil pose as they announce Adelaide securing the tournament until 2031, during the final day of the LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide on February 16, 2025. Take the circuit's decision last week to resubmit an application to be recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. When LIV's first bid was rejected in October 2023, the OWGR made clear that field size, the lack of a cut and playing only 54 holes weren't barriers. It was the absence of meritocracy — limited pathways and players being exempt from relegation, no matter how execrable their performances — and the staging of team and individual events simultaneously. 'LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game's most prestigious events,' O'Neil said in a statement. 'We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system. We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 major season.' Advertisement Nothing about specific material changes by LIV to address non-compliance, more a haughty call for the rules to be rewritten and quickly. An absence of particulars is typical of LIV announcements that are intended to simulate success that doesn't exist by any commercial measurement. Like last week's deal with HSBC, a company with significant interests in Saudi Arabia. HSBC will become LIV's official banking partner — just totting up the league's losses should guarantee employment for many — but there was no detail on the deal's duration (other than 'multi-year') or a suggestion that money was changing hands. HSBC will be a 'presenting partner' of a segment in LIV broadcasts which, the press release noted, 'has a potential reach of over 875 million households across more than 120 international markets.' The 'potential' in that claim is working harder than Donald Trump's haircare product. O'Neil declined to be drawn on LIV's player contracts, some of which expire later this year, notably Dustin Johnson's. His obvious lack of motivation notwithstanding, expect Johnson to be re-signed with much fanfare. It will be yet another purely performative exercise, a sleight of hand designed to create a narrative that LIV is doubling down when it's really just trying to buy time in hopes that Rolapp and the PGA Tour's board decide to compromise their product by incorporating LIV's as part of a deal they don't need. Anything to imply a lengthy runway ahead for LIV that isn't supported by economic tailwinds. As the locals might say in Portrush, catch yourself on, Scott. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Lynch: New LIV boss Scott O'Neil sounds a lot like Greg Norman

New PGA Tour CEO Lays Out Plan to Expand Golf's Digital Footprint
New PGA Tour CEO Lays Out Plan to Expand Golf's Digital Footprint

Newsweek

time13-07-2025

  • Business
  • Newsweek

New PGA Tour CEO Lays Out Plan to Expand Golf's Digital Footprint

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The PGA Tour recently handed its reins to an ex-NFL Chief Media and Business Officer with over 20 years of experience, and he's already shaking things up. Brian Rolapp, currently in a transitional period, was officially announced as the new PGA Tour CEO just 25 days ago. On Friday, during his interview on CNBC's Squawk Box, he laid out his early priorities. "When you work in the sports business, it's not that complicated," he said. "You need to think like a fan. And I think the fans have spoken, they want to see the best golfers play more often. That should be a goal for the sport in general." The Harvard Business School graduate acknowledged the complexities of a potential deal with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, calling it "a blank sheet of paper" and "a situation involving no less than two sovereign nations." But he was clear about his focus, stating, "The opportunity for the growth of the PGA Tour... and the innovation we can bring, that's going to be my primary focus". JUNE 17: PGA TOUR CEO, Brian Rolapp addresses the media during the PGA TOUR CEO announcement at TPC River Highlands on June 17, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) JUNE 17: PGA TOUR CEO, Brian Rolapp addresses the media during the PGA TOUR CEO announcement at TPC River Highlands on June 17, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) Getty Images Rolapp's later expressed more about his digital and tech mindset. "We need to go where the fans are," he said. "And increasingly, the fans are spending their time in digital. A big priority is to increase our digital footprint in all sorts of ways that could include the tour events themselves" The new boss further highlighted an 'underrepresented' concern in the PGA Tour: "But it also include everything in between the tour events, and tell the stories of these golfers and tell the stories of the sport, which I think is underrepresented in media." LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil echoed similar sentiments Scott O'Neil, who is reported to have an old relationship with Rolapp from their Harvard graduation days, echoed similar sentiments on the Rick Shiels Golf Show. "We're (Rolapp & Neil) friends," the LIV Golf CEO said. "He's someone I know really well and have a lot of respect for." O'Neil added that Rolapp's arrival could "facilitate [unification] at a faster pace," especially with LIV's emphasis on team formats and global reach. Interestingly, even when the new PGA Tour CEO was asked whether he wants to see the sport evolve like LIV's team-based model, Rolapp responded: "I think the PGA Tour product is strong as it is. Viewership has grown significantly this year. On Sundays, we're pulling 3 to 4 million viewers, that's a large sports event." He emphasized that fans are "voting with their remotes and their mouses," and that innovation will be welcomed, but not at the expense of tradition. "We're going to honor golf's traditions, but we're not going to be overly bound by them," he continued. "Wherever there's innovation, we're going to look at it". Until now, the ex-NFL executive's appointment has earned him praise from several pros, including Tiger Woods himself. "Brian's appointment is a win for players and fans," Woods said after his official appointment. And the fans are excited to see what comes next. More Golf: Rory McIlroy's taunt of JJ Spaun leaves Shane Lowry in disbelief

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